From April 8–20, the first Ford UCAN Innovation Camp of the year was held at Southeast University in Nanjing, marking the official launch of the 2025 Ford UCAN Innovation Competition program. This innovation camp consists of 3 online courses and a 2.5-day offline workshop. The online courses attracted over 800 students from 100+ universities nationwide, and 190+ Ford employees from Ford China, Changan Ford, and Ford Beyond respectively. Ultimately, 36 university students successfully completed the online curriculum and advanced to the offline workshop.
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2025 Ford UCAN Launches in Nanjing
Apr 30, 2025
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The 2025 Ford UCAN Innovation Camp introduced an upgraded "three-dimensional empowerment model" combining online courses, corporate visits, and practical workshops. Building on last year’s popular AI curriculum, the online segment expanded design thinking into personal growth with a new "Life Design" theme course.
The event received strong support from the Ford NTC team, Core VI team, STEM volunteer team, and HR team, who jointly formed an empowerment network of 24 corporate mentors, building a systematic growth path for participants to transition from theoretical knowledge to practical implementation.
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Prior to the offline workshop, participants visited Ford Nanjing Test Center, immersing themselves in professional test tracks and simulated off-road scenarios to witness the precision of automotive industrial testing. This hands-on experience helped students better identify industry challenges and develop innovative, practical mobility solutions during later workshops.
The offline workshop continued to employ the Design Thinking Five-Step Methodology, guiding participants to explore the Smart Mobility Innovation theme through case simulations, user persona development, and interdisciplinary team collaboration. These efforts culminated in multiple creative and feasible mobility concepts. The champion team focused on casual luxury off-road enthusiasts, creating a co-developed smart ecosystem through intelligent pre-trip planning + real-time risk control + post-adventure eco-closure, designed collaboratively with off-road vehicle owners.
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A student reflects his experiences
A student from Southeast University shared: "I never imagined having such a valuable opportunity to visit Ford NTC. As a vehicle engineering student, this experience was incredibly helpful for my studies, and I hope to join Ford in the future." Lin Xiang, Leader of Ford Nanjing STEM team added: "It’s an honor to organize volunteers from various departments to support the Ford UCAN project. We aimed to showcase Ford’s innovative culture and exceptional automotive products to the young innovators, empowering them in mobility design. We’re also thrilled to see the students’ creative ideas, which greatly inspired our own work."
This year’s Ford UCAN Innovation Camp will expand to Beijing, Shanghai, and Chongqing, with outstanding participants from all four cities advancing to the annual grand finale in August. By fostering an empowerment ecosystem integrating enterprises and local universities, the Ford UCAN Innovation Competition will continue cultivating innovative talents for the mobility industry, injecting sustained intellectual momentum into industry sustainability.
